Background: This is a surname of either Irish or French orgins. If Irish it is a form of the ancient pre 10th century Gaelic O'Laimhin, which translates as 'the descendant of the son of the prince', although as to who the prince was is unclear. In the years before the Norman-English invasion of Ireland in 1170, there were as many as nine kings of Ireland, and no doubt at least an equal number of princes. The clan hails from the region of County Roscommon. If French, the name is occupational and residential, describing the ownership of a vineyard, the name being prevalent in those areas associated with wine such as the Gironde and Loire.